Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 976 to 1000 of 4999 results

2 Peter 3:9

Children's Sermon

... trees we use for Christmas trees. How many of you have your Christmas tree already? (Wait for show of hands.) Did you know that there are male or boy pine cones and female or girl pine cones? The male kind of pine cones have a special powder in them that the wind blows into the female pine cone. Those kinds have tiny, tiny eggs in them. When the powder touches the egg, then a seed will be formed. The wind blows the seeds to the ground and all that's left is the pine cone. Sometimes the seeds on the ground ...

977. Epiphany 2

John 2:1-11, Isaiah 62:1-12, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Psalm 96:1-13, Psalm 36:1-12

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... God's love for his creatures and his faithfulness toward them. The psalmist declares, "you save both man and beast." He says, "For with you is the well of life" and "in your light we see light." The psalm ends with a portion of a prayer: "Continue your loving kindness to those who know you, and your favor to those who are true of heart." The psalm expresses the "light and life" themes of John 1, which is read on this same Sunday in years/cycles A and B. Psalm Prayer (36 - LB W) is particularly well-suited ...

978. Rocky

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

William J. Carl

... Frederick Buechner, Peculiar Treasures, New York, Harper and Row, Publishers, 1979, p. 134).” That’s why being called a rock wasn’t the greatest thing Jesus could do for Peter. A rock could mean a solid foundation, but it could also mean a stone of stumbling, the kind of “scandalon” that Paul talks about later. So it is for us in our Christian lives. Sometimes it seems like we’re really holding the fort down for God and the kingdom in the ways we act and in the ways we treat each other. And at ...

979. The Unfairness of God

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

William J. Carl

... of all those who don’t buy the deathbed confessions of serial killers or Nazi war criminals or slave owners in the old South. What kind of God is this, anyway? It’s just not fair! Isn’t this what we would call the offense of grace? Don’t some of ... hospital or home, in Scripture, sermon and song, in Word and font and table, we meet this God who is not only fair but immeasurably kind. In Jesus Christ we find that what seems to be the unfairness of God in saving those who don’t seem to deserve it is ...

980. A Farewell Gift

John 14:15-31

Sermon

John M. Braaten

... also leaving you with something to remember me by - a farewell gift. It is precious beyond all measure. Don't be troubled. Don't be afraid. I am giving you the gift of peace." Jesus then goes on to say that the world doesn't really understand the kind of peace he is giving. When we think of peace we usually think of the absence of war between nations, or the ending of hostilities between persons. Even though the Cold War continues, some politicians speak of our time as a period of peace. But we know better ...

981. Finding Our Roots

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

John M. Braaten

... Some of the possibilities might surprise you: what you had for breakfast and how it agreed with you. How other people treat you, especially certain people. What people say about you. How you feel. The intensity of your desires or the weight of your burdens. Who you are with. What kind of a day it is. Too often it is things like these that design our daily lives, and yet we talk about how free we are. We are not free at all until our life is rooted in Christ and our life flows forth from him. One pastor, in ...

982. Two R-Rated Stories

John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

John M. Braaten

... life to his people just like he did in Lily’s life and the lives of three 10-year-old girls. It is important that we as God’s people permit others to live their new life and not keep bringing up their past. We acknowledge, by our kindness, that God does indeed change people and we join them in glorifying God for the miracle that has taken place in their life. Sometimes the change which comes over people when the Holy Spirit is working within them challenges the values of others. This is illustrated in a ...

983. The Interview

Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Larry Goodpaster

... few questions. Well, that’s what I’m here for, so fire away.” “As you might know,” she began, “I want to be sure this is right for me. You know, I just don’t want to jump into something before I’m absolutely positive.” “That’s the kind of person we look for, the one who is prepared and at the same time careful -- and prayerful, I might add.” Looking back at her notes and at the help wanted ad that had lured her to this place, she paused for a long moment. “Prayerful,” she thought ...

984. Illusion Or Reality?

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... urges. He is a prisoner to a grand style of living and cannot let it go. He's always got to associate with the right kind of people or else he'd have to face his own true self. His friends look at him and see this imposing free person - so ... that this excellent Pharisee, named Simon, dismissed Jesus as being a true prophet. "If this man were a prophet," said Simon, "He would have known what kind of woman is touching Him, for she is a sinner!" (Luke 7:39). In other words, a true Son of God is a person who just ...

985. Preparing The Way

Malachi 2:17--3:5

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... Advent list provided Frank with a way to do a spiritual housecleaning for a special guest. Frank's special preparation had to do with selfishness, impatience and inordinately desiring things. That's a special kind of preparing the way for the advent of the Lord. Do any of these maladies make your refinement list? It is that kind of preparation which Malachi and John the Baptist (the messenger of Malachi 3:1) have in mind as they think of the coming of God. Both of these prophets, one in the Old Testament ...

986. The Quest And The Question Of The Way

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... showed you, 0 man, What is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice and to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8, RSV Justice, kindness and reverence are the three elements in the humble quest to know God and to be godly. Justice, kindness and reverence are the signs of God, so actually they are the signs of the true people of God. Justice, kindness and reverence are also the signs of the One who comes from the little town of Bethlehem. Bethlehem, you are one of ...

987. No One Enters The Kingdom… Save With Empty Hands

2 Samuel 5:1-5

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... to Christ, the living Word of God. He is the full and the perfect expression of God. He is the one to whom the Scriptures bear witness. Christ the King is our supreme authority. What Kind Of Authority Is It? Once we have determined who has authority over us, we must proceed to ask: “What kind of authority is it?” When the Soviet dictator Stalin was told of papal disapproval of his oppressive policies against his own country, he was purported sarcastically to have replied: “How many divisions does the ...

988. The Road To The Wilderness

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... made the choice and the commitment to see it through. You can tell all there is to know about a person's life by the kind of commitments that person has made. The thing that matters is never the size of a checking account - but the depth of our commitment. The thing ... that matters is never the way we dress - but how we live what we profess. The thing that matters is never the kind of reputation -but having a mind of consecration. The thing that matters is never our style of living - but cultivating the art ...

989. Lessons From The Mountaintop

Exodus 24:1-18, Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Robert Beringer

... group of friends sitting around a campfire. A clean, clear mountain stream rushing by. A skillet filled with fish. A tub filled with "Old Milwaukee." And one of the friends says to the others, "Fellows, it doesn't get any better than this!" We have all had those kinds of experiences. Everything is just right. It cannot get any better. We want to hang on to the moment and stay on the mountaintop forever. The problem is that the God we discover on the mountaintop is a God who is always on the move. Our God is ...

990. Wounded Glory

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Erskine White

... what He looks like, and where shall we find Him - in our own lives and in the life of the world? He is our Risen Lord, exalted above all the earth, but He is not distant or detached from us. He is standing here beside us when life is neither kind nor fair. He shows us the marks on His hands and in His side, that our joy may be complete as we behold our Risen Lord in all His wounded glory. Amen. Pastoral Prayer Most Gracious and Loving Lord, we thank You for the bright light which has come into ...

991. Delivery Room

John 14:1-4

Eulogy

Richard F. Bansemer

... of place or room. We have other places with happier memories.Even if we've experienced great joy in a hospital delivery room, hearing the first breath of life from our own child, we don't like to go back there to visit. No, those kinds of rooms have purposes that pass, and when they are no longer needed, we are relieved.It should be, then, an occasion for relief and gladness for us today, as we acknowledge that ___________ no longer needs her nursing home room. Like a delivered mother, the occasion is past ...

992. Step Eleven - Spirituality

Mt 26:36-46 · 1 Thess 5:12-22 · Ps 25:1-15

Sermon

John A. Terry

... God is not simply something that happens to us. The will of God is something to do. It involves our being willing to pray for knowledge and to pray for the strength to carry out that will. The psalm is a plea for personal help. Paul pleads for the kind of community which helps those who are struggling with life's direction. Paul was not writing to a prosperous church. He was writing to a new church that had struggled and was about to enter into a far more difficult struggle. He was writing to a church where ...

993. Episode 1: The Holy Spirit

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Brett Blair

... . I prayed for her salvation. I prayed that her life would be changed, and that God would be good to her. And when I finished, Harry leaned over, and with a trace of hostility in his voice he said, "Hey, you never told me you were a preacher. What kind of preacher are you anyway? What church do you belong to?" In one of those moments when just the right words came, I answered him quietly, "I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning." Harry thought a moment, and ...

994. Vacillation - Pontius Pilate

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... this?" he asked. "Caesar's" said the crowd. "Then pay to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." That's the kind of answer I liked to hear. He stumped them. They hated him for his wisdom. I was glad for it. As he stood before me, I ... , though even my husband could not have spoken with such authority. When he saw me passing by, he stopped speaking for a moment and looked kindly upon me. I was humbled, and in my soul I knew I had passed by a god." After that day, his image visited my privacy when ...

995. How To Bring Tears To Jesus' Eyes

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... do not know how to get along with each other. As a result, we do not have peace in our homes, our cities, our nation, and our world. If we had Christ, we would have the spirit of Christ in our hearts. His spirit is one of love, goodness, and kindness. Only when there is goodwill among men, will there be peace. Peace is a by-product of these values. And the sad truth is that we will never have peace until Christ dwells in us. This peace that Christ offers is not only for people in their relations with each ...

996. Sticking Up for God

Acts 13:8

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... said and trusted in the Lord, then there would be no place for a trickster like him. He had to stop Paul in some way with some kind of a lie. There was no time to sit and argue with a man like Bar Jesus. Paul stood up and looked Bar Jesus in the ... of people who speak against God or say He doesn't count or that He will hurt people if they follow Him. Paul could not let those kinds of lies go on. Christians love their God and they want everyone to know about Him and believe in Him. It may take a lot of courage ...

997. Using the Name of Jesus

Acts 19:13-14

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... are other ways to use the name of Jesus. Some of them are right and there are some other ways that are wrong. Paul had that kind of experience while he was in the town of Ephesus. He had lived there for almost two years when seven men whose father was a ... of Sceva were doing the right things. Paul knew that they did not believe, and others knew that the sons of Sceva were not the kind of people Paul said a Christian would be. It was a real problem that haunted Paul and the other Christians. One day two of the ...

998. Colorizing Jesus

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Carl Jech

... various political and other "criminals" being put to death by the occupying forces. How could one maintain faith and hope and love in the midst of such a holocaust? By telling the story of an innocent victim of crucifixion who is vindicated by God through the kind of resurrection espoused among the Pharisees, that's how! Is not the miracle of the Christian faith precisely and simply that it affirms the grace and love of God in spite of all the reasons not to do so, that it affirms life in stark defiance ...

999. Divine Liturgy, Divine Play, Divine Comedy

John 13:31-38

Sermon

Carl Jech

... aspects of Christian thanksgiving is that it is not necessary to say "thank you" to the person who gives us the bread or wine during communion. The gift is from God, and the only gratitude God desires is a life in which we demonstrate the same kind of grace and loving service to others that we have seen demonstrated in the life of Jesus.) One of ancient Israel's psalms of thanksgiving shows us what a short step it is from divine playfulness and graciousness to divine laughter and divine comedy. An appealing ...

1000. Dollar Signs and Life Symbols

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

Rev. Donald R. Shank

... we make to God's love and providence by using our resources and abilities to fulfill Christ's mission to the world. Giving away our wealth will help break its hold on us. That is what Jesus told the rich young ruler, but he did not want to pay that kind of a price. Every Christian should be sure he practices the art of giving. This is one of those areas where we have to learn by doing - where we act first, and then the right feelings follow. If we wait till we feel like giving generously, we may never break ...

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